Fall is closing in on us like a hurricane, and I don’t mean Harvey. What a disaster that is, providing an epic demonstration of how Americans help out in a crisis.

Did you ever notice that the folks providing the most help will claim the least credit?

Back to this time of year. With school opening and upcoming elections, there are events at Chimacum High as well as candidates for public office knocking on doors and getting endorsement letters printed in fine publications like this.

Bill Dean reminds me to encourage participation in the Port Ludlow Village Council elections as well as the annual meeting. The ballots for the election should have arrived the other day, and the annual member meeting is Oct. 5.

I understand that for the first time in sometime, all positions on the council will be filled. The council does a lot of good work in the area, although a case could be made that quality has suffered since several years ago when I was the secretary. I suspect a case claiming the opposite could also be made.

EXCHANGE STUDENTS

School starting up generates lots of activities. For Rotary, it is time to welcome our new foreign exchange students. Each of the clubs in Port Townsend is hosting a female student this year, but the East Jefferson Rotary Club has a young man from Zagreb, Croatia, for his year at Chimacum High School. His name is Jure, but we all have agreed that we will know him as “JJ.”

He comes here with both academic and athletic talents. He has already joined the tennis team and looks forward to joining the basketball team this winter.

Larry Howland loves to note when this column appears in the paper in some location other than the obituaries, which happened last week. Frankly, it makes no difference, because my picture probably ends up on the bottom of a lot of birdcages, no matter where it appears in the newspaper.

I happened to accompany “JJ” to 1st Security Bank in Port Hadlock so that he could make a deposit into his checking account. While there, I noted several bottles of water, all available with the picture and name of “Personal Banker” Gary Zambor. So, his picture may not go to a final resting on the bottom of a birdcage, but his name now has the potential to make it since it is in this column.

Here, we live in the land of salmon, halibut, shrimp and scores of other seafood delicacies, so last week, on subsequent evenings, I had steak. The first one was at The Valley Tavern at an event honoring longtime resident and Port Townsend Sunrise Rotarian Jeffrey Hartman. Jeffrey is a truly great guy and a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. He is moving to Sequim to be closer to his daughter.

The other steak was at Grill Night at the Port Ludlow Yacht Club Wreck Room, where “grill master” Harold Brunstad managed the Webers as the patrons brought their own fare to grill. Some new residents of Port Ludlow came to consider joining the yacht club and found themselves in the middle of a really good time. They are actually living on their boat while their cottage in Ludlow Cove is being finished.

This week I provide advice from Elbert Hubbard:

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually fear that you will make a mistake.”

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week.

Port Ludlow resident Ned Luce writes this column weekly, but expects to take a week off next week. Contact him with Port Ludlow news at nedluce@sbcglobal.net.